Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Other

Richard H Schmidt

Lloyd S Vasilakes

Peter M Eisenberg

Adelio Lissoni

The present invention is directed to a machine for closing and sealing an article, such as a box or carton, as it is driven through the machine. Specifically, upper and lower taping heads are provided for applying lengths of tape to the bottoms and tops of the boxes. The upper box flaps are also preferably folded by the machine of the present invention by a folding mechanism including a ski for folding the leading minor flap, a kicker for folding the trailing minor flap, and shaped rods for folding the major side flaps after the minor flaps are folded. In accordance with the present invention, the upper head assembly is advantageously adjustably connected to the machine so that proper leveling of the upper taping head and the folding mechanism can be assured. Moreover, such adjustment can be redone at any time thereafter as needed as affected by working conditions over time. Additionally, the subject machine includes a control system which uses only a minimum number of control sensors, namely two control valves, to control both the kicker and a gating mechanism effectively while permitting easy operator adjustment and machine versatility.

Box closing and taping machine

Tape dispenser

A rigid side extension draft bar locates to one side of a propelled implement the hitch for a tongue of a pulled implement. Preferably, the pulled implement has caster wheels. Pivots located at the ends of the tongue permit the pulled implement and the propelled implement to travel over different contours at different levels but maintain the fore-to-aft axes of the implements in the same direction so that they turn and back as a unit and maintain the amount of overlap of their paths uniform.

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Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Richard H Schmidt